At yesterday’s regular session of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Agreement with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) was adopted.
As has been learned, this decision was made unanimously, and the signing of this agreement as well as its implementation is one of the key steps in strengthening the operational cooperation between European Union (EU) member states and the competent authorities in BiH when it comes to migration management and the further European path of our country.
This agreement now goes for signing to Borjana Kristo, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH (HDZ BiH), in order to officially come into force.
It should be recalled that the Council of Ministers of BiH at the beginning of this year gave its consent for the Agreement between BiH and the EU on operational activities carried out by Frontex to be applied provisionally, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement that regulate this matter.
At that time, the Ministry of Security of BiH was tasked with submitting the Report on the negotiations to the Presidency of BiH for further procedure as prescribed by law, along with the proposal that Borjana Kristo be designated as the signatory of the Agreement.
Also, in December last year, Frontex was initialed in Sarajevo between BiH and the EU.
The agreement was initialed by the head of the BiH negotiation team with Frontex and the director of the Border Police of BiH, Mirko Kupresakovic, and the Director for Schengen, Borders and Visas in the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Henrik Nielsen.
This agreement will enable the organization of joint operations involving border guards from Frontex and BiH. It also foresees the possibility of deploying Frontex border management teams on the territory of BiH, through which the agency will provide support in managing migration flows, combating illegal immigration, and suppressing cross-border crime.
In order to carry out its tasks, Frontex can conduct activities related to EU border management on the territory of third countries, with the consent of those countries. Since 2019, according to the new regulation of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex personnel can exercise executive powers in third countries, including border checks and registration of persons.
